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The lady asked to report on the sewing in the City schools says much improvement is shown both in the quality and variety of the work. The plan of making small garments and showing specimens of various kinds of work is found to lead to much better results than the old plan of making one full-sized garment. In this district, the needlework of the large schools receives a good deal of local supervision. This is a matter in which such supervision is very useful. The giving of prizes for sewing encourages industry and perseverance. But then, prizes, if given at all, should be obtainable by all who show real industry, and not only by the few who possess natural ability. This is the first year in which we have adopted the English plan of occasionally inviting the head-teacher of a school, with a previous good examination record, to examine some of the classes in standard work. This is not only a compliment to such a school, but it has the advantage of allowing the Inspector more time to examine the advanced class instruction of such a school. We have tried the experiment in two City schools, two Wairarapa schools, and one country school this year, confining the head-teacher's examination to Standards 1., 11., 111., and V. We have, by individual tests, in. a manner also verified the fairness of the examinations thus made. We purpose extending this privilege next year to two or three other district schools whose reports have been very satisfactory for several years past ; but, of course, w T e shall fully examine the five schools which were this year partly examined by their head-teachers. It will then be seen how far it is desirable to continue the practice. We have, &c, Eobeet Lee, 1 t , The Chairman, Wellington Education Board. T. B. Fleming,} lns P ectOTa -

Summary of Results for the Whole District.

MABLBOBOUGH. Sib,— Blenheim, February 4th, 1893. I have the honour to lay before the Board my second annual report on the public schools of the district of Marlborough. At the close of the year 1891 there were 43 schools in the district. Four of these were closed at or before the end of the year. During the year 1892 five schools have been added to the list. Three of these are quite new ones, and two—Endeavour Inlet and Grove—were re-opened, the latter after some years' interval. The number of schools that have been in operation during the year is therefore 44. Of these, two were closed before the date of the examination ; two, recently opened, were not examined; the scholars of two small aided schools in the Sounds were prevented by tempestuous weather from attending at Manaroa, the place appointed for the examination ; and two schools—Port Underwood and Oyster Bay—closed for the holidays a clay or two before the date fixed, and notified several months beforehand, for the examination. I received notice of this step from the teacher of the Port Underwood School just in time to prevent a fruitless journey, and the reason assigned for it was that the examination would interfere with the children's holidays. If the Committee or the teachers had given timely notice of their objection to the date appointed other arrangements could and would have been made, and I consider that the Board and its Inspector have reason to complain of such wanton discourtesy. lam not prepared to say who is responsible for this neglect, the Chairman of the Committee or the teacher of the Port Underwood School. Each lays the blame upon the other. Leaving out these eight sahools (and counting Blenheim as one), there remain thirty-six schools which have been examined, and the results of the examination are given in detail in the tables attached to this report. The total number of scholars examined in standards this year was 1,235, or 60 more than were examined in 1891. The number presented (i.e., the roll-number) on the day of examination was 1,991, or 11 less than the roll-number of schools examined in the previous year. The percentage of passes for the whole district for the year under review was 47, being an increase of 3 per cent, on the results of 1891. The percentage of failures for the same period was 20, or 1J per cent, less than on the previous year. Turning to the table which gives the percentage of

Classes. Presented. Absent. Excepted. Failed. Passed. Average Age of those that passed. Yrs. mos. Above Standard VI. Standard VI. V. IV. III. lPreparatory... 239 600 1,139 1,445 1,644 1,652 1,516 3,446 13 29 45 42 37 32 21 40 56 96 74 17 46 91 103 120 50 o O 520 979 1,241 1,386 1,491 1,464 13 8 12 7 11 11 10 7 9 8 8 5 Totals 11,681 198 304 413 7,081 11 1* * Mean of average age. Number of schools, 85; preseni :entage of passes, 60-6 ; percentage o: led, 11,681; passed, 7,081 ; percen : class subjects, 67'9; percentage of age of fail additional res, 5-5 ; peraarks, 69-9.